#4 4 clean sheets in 7 matches, best ever start to a year by India
India kept a clean sheet against Nepal which was their fourth shut-out in the last 12 months and second on the spin. The Blue Tigers had kept clean sheets in wins over Laos, Bhutan and Myanmar before yesterday’s win over Nepal since June 2016. The win also marked India’s best ever start to a calendar year. No Indian team in the past had won three straight games to start a year, something which Constantine’s charges have achieved this term with relative ease and style by keeping their opponents at arm’s length from their goal.
#5 Robin Singh’s faltering India career
If there was one game where Robin Singh’s inadequacy to lead the line for India was exposed, it was yesterday’s. The tall target man was chosen to start in captain Sunil Chhetri’s absence and had a game to forget before being taken off at half-time. His firing at blanks in the Nepal game meant his India record now stands at four goals from 24 matches, a tally which was matched by centre-back Jhingan when he scored the opening goal in the second half. It’s a damning indictment of striker Robin that a defender has an equal number of international goals.
